"Reality has finally caught up with New Yorkers, and we are cutting back as a result of the bad economy," said Robert Sinclair, the American Automobile Association's New York spokesman. "Even though gasoline is a heck of a lot cheaper, fewer people from our area will be traveling."

The AAA predicts 2.2 million New York State residents will journey more than 50miles for Thanksgiving, an estimated drop of as much as 3% from last year.

Nationwide, the AAA expects 41 million people to head out of town for Thanksgiving, 600,000 fewer than last year.

Even the rapid decline in gas prices - which hit an average of $2.42 a gallon in New York yesterday, down $2 from their high in July - won't woo travelers.

It's the first time since gas prices soared that New Yorkers have begun to change their travel habits, Sinclair said.

Throughout the rest of the country, travel was down for summer weekends when gas was sky-high - but the number of New York travelers continued to grow.

"In the past, New Yorkers have bucked the trend," Sinclair said. "What gas prices could not do, it seems that the weakened economy has done: namely, keep New Yorkers close to home."

Air travel is likely to take the biggest hit, with 7.2% fewer Americans expected to fly during the holiday weekend.